Shipping Speed: The Lesson Nobody Tells You
Updated: 4 days ago
The Founder Interview
A conversation with Jeff Schuette, aka Jeff Shooty, owner of FakeTattoos.com
Jeff Schuette runs FakeTattoos.com, an online store selling realistic temporary tattoos built around one simple idea: real-looking ink, zero commitment. He bought the business in 2022 and rebuilt it from the ground up. We sat down with him to talk about what running an online store has actually taught him.
Q. What's one decision you made early on with Fake Tattoos that you didn't expect to matter as much as it did?
Jeff: Shipping speed, hands down. Customers don't like to wait anymore. The sooner you can get it to them, the happier they are. That was a big one.
“The sooner you can get it to them, the happier they are.” — Jeff Schuette
Q. Why did that catch you off guard?
Jeff: When I took over the store, I was thinking about the obvious stuff. The designs, how real the tattoos look, the website, the price. Shipping felt like a back-office detail.
You pack it, you send it, done. But it turns out the moment someone clicks "buy," the clock starts in their head. They're excited, they've already pictured how it's going to look, and every day they wait, a little of that excitement wears off.
Q. Does that show up in how customers react?
Jeff: Totally. When an order shows up fast, people are pumped. They post about it, they come back, they tell their friends. When it takes longer, even if the product is exactly what they wanted, the first thing they bring up is the wait.
It colors the whole experience. A lot of people buy a temporary tattoo for something specific, like an event, a festival, a weekend, or trying out a design before they commit to the real thing. If it shows up after the event, it doesn't matter how good it looks.
Q. So what did you change?
Jeff: I started treating shipping like part of the product, not something that happens after the product. Getting orders out the door quickly became a priority, not an afterthought. And being upfront with people about when their order is going to arrive. Nobody likes guessing.
Q. What's your advice for other people running an online store?
Jeff: Don't underestimate it. Everybody spends their energy on the product and the marketing, and those matter. But the part people remember is how it felt to buy from you. Fast shipping is one of the easiest ways to make that feel good.
If you can get it to them sooner, do it. If you can't, at least tell them the truth about when it's coming. People are way more forgiving when they know what to expect.
Q. Anything else you'd tell someone just getting started?
Jeff: Put yourself in the customer's shoes. Order from your own store and see what it feels like to wait for it. You'll figure out pretty fast what matters.
Q. Thanks, Jeff.
Jeff: Thanks for having me. And if you want to try a tattoo without the commitment, you know where to find us.
Browse our fake tattoos collection.
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